Beech Grove, Indiana — a town of under 15,000 with five main parks — has long been linked to a peculiar ordinance that reportedly banned eating watermelon in public parks. Local TV affiliate WRTV confirmed the law existed, though it’s not listed in current municipal records and officials couldn’t give enactment or repeal dates. A 2015 Hoosierist column suggests the rule aimed to stop watermelon rinds from puncturing municipal trash bags. The ordinance appears to have been rarely enforced and is likely off the books now.
A Quirky Ordinance: Why Watermelon Was Once Banned in Beech Grove Parks
Beech Grove, Indiana — a town of under 15,000 with five main parks — has long been linked to a peculiar ordinance that reportedly banned eating watermelon in public parks. Local TV affiliate WRTV confirmed the law existed, though it’s not listed in current municipal records and officials couldn’t give enactment or repeal dates. A 2015 Hoosierist column suggests the rule aimed to stop watermelon rinds from puncturing municipal trash bags. The ordinance appears to have been rarely enforced and is likely off the books now.
04:55 AM, 11/16/2025Society
When a Summer Staple Became a Park Offense
Watermelon is practically shorthand for warm-weather picnics — sweet, juicy, and cooling. So it sounds absurd that a Midwestern town reportedly had an ordinance making it illegal to eat watermelon in public parks. That town is Beech Grove, Indiana, a community of under 15,000 people with five main parks and a trail system.
What the records (and officials) say
Attempts to find the rule in online municipal codes or on Beech Grove’s city website turn up nothing obvious. Still, local TV affiliate WRTV contacted city officials who confirmed the ordinance once existed, although they could not specify when it was enacted or whether — and when — it was repealed. The lack of documentation and enforcement makes the rule more of a local curiosity than a notorious law.
"It’s the kind of odd local law that sounds made-up — until someone checks with city hall."
Why would watermelon be singled out?
A 2015 Hoosierist column in Indiana Monthly offers the most commonly cited explanation: watermelon rinds were reportedly stiff enough to puncture the municipal trash bags used in parks, leaving city crews with torn bags and spilled refuse. Rather than policing littering behavior directly, the rationale goes, the town restricted eating watermelon in parks to reduce damaged bags and extra cleanup for workers.
Context and likely fate of the ordinance
Plastic trash bags became common in municipal use only in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which suggests the ordinance — if tied to punctured plastic bags — could be no older than roughly 50–60 years. Even then, park litter would have included broken glass, cans, and other sharp debris, so singling out watermelon rinds appears inconsistent. Local reports also indicate the ordinance was seldom enforced and likely faded from prominence or was quietly repealed.
In short: this quirky piece of local lore was corroborated by city officials, explained plausibly by concerns about trash-bag damage, but it was not a heavily enforced rule and now appears to be off the books. If you visit Beech Grove, you can probably enjoy a slice of watermelon in a park — or, if you prefer, candy the rinds.
Sources: Reporting by WRTV and a 2015 Hoosierist column in Indiana Monthly, with the original Tasting Table piece summarizing the story.